Whatever Happened To Yumble After Shark Tank?
Appearing in "Shark Tank" Season 10, Episode 8, husband-and-wife team David and Joanna Parker pitched their company, Yumble, an online meal subscription service tailored to children. This episode premiered in December 2018, about four and a half years after another meal subscription service called Plated earned a tentative deal with Mark Cuban in Season 5. Funnily enough, after its "Shark Tank" appearance, Plated never closed that deal with Cuban but instead earned an investment from another Shark in Kevin O'Leary. Together, they sold the business for a considerable sum of money to Albertsons.
For the Parkers, Plated is something of a blueprint for success heading into the "Shark Tank" studio, since an investment like either the one Cuban promised or the one O'Leary made is just what they're seeking. That said, the competition from Plated and other meal services becomes something of a point of contention among the Sharks as they open negotiations with the Parkers for a potential stake in Yumble.
What happened to Yumble on Shark Tank?
To explain the purpose of Yumble on "Shark Tank," Joanna Parker floats a scenario she thinks the Sharks and viewers with kids should find all too familiar. She says parents can struggle to convince their children to accept a healthy meal and will find themselves forced to heat something quick and easy instead just to get their kids to calm down and eat. The meals Yumble provides are intended to mimic items kids find fun like cake pops or mac and cheese, but they utilize healthy ingredients with ample nutrients rather than the processed ingredients from which these items are normally made.
The meal subscription service business model ends up dividing the Sharks. Kevin O'Leary is out due to his experience with Plated — while he found success with that company, he recalls how difficult it was to get the business where it needed to be, and he thinks that competition in the industry is too steep. Mark Cuban backs out shortly after, citing similar reasons. However, Guest Shark Bethenny Frankel is enthusiastic about closing a deal with the Parkers. She's so enthusiastic, that after Frankel's fellow Guest Shark Rohan Oza and Lori Greiner propose a joint offer, the "Real Housewives of New York City" star makes a counter. She agrees with the Parkers' desired $500,000 for just 6% of the company, but she'll back out if they wait to hear Oza and Greiner out. Frankel's gambit works and the Parkers accept her proposition.
Yumble after Shark Tank
As regular "Shark Tank" viewers are doubtlessly well aware, the Sharks consistently change the terms of their deals once cameras are off. Initially, it appeared that Bethenny Frankel would become a key spokesperson for Yumble, not just because of her outward enthusiasm on the show but also her promotion of the company on her personal Instagram account around the time of this episode. However, Joanna Parker revealed during an interview on entrepreneur Kara Goldin's podcast The Kara Goldin Show that they never closed the deal that Frankel proposed. Nevertheless, "Shark Tank" was a net positive for Yumble. "It was a great experience, very unusual, nothing I'll ever do again but exciting, thrilling, and was a great boost for the company," Parker said.
Yumble eventually shut down in its initial form in December 2022, but a competitor called Dibz Kidz purchased the brand name and relaunched it in February 2023. Its business model, however, has changed. Whereas the Parkers' service offered proprietary, healthy kids' meals, the new Yumble packages premade items from brands like Annie's and Mott's and no longer provides subscribers with the option to purchase the Parkers' recipes.
Is Yumble still in business?
In its current form, Yumble is still plenty active. The way the business now works is subscribers select a premade entree and pair it with a few side snacks. Rather than a subscription-only model, Yumble is now predominantly oriented around sales of individual, custom lunch bags — though a subscription is still an option.
On "Shark Tank," the Parkers share that their product is priced between $6.99 and $7.99 depending on subscription frequency. While the fact that Yumble now revolves around items largely available through grocery stores could be considered a downgrade, its new model did bring with it a drop in price, with each lunch bag costing $5.99 à la carte or 5% cheaper with a subscription.
Despite the need to retool under a new owner, Yumble appears to be thriving. At least one competing meal service for kids, for example, encourages customers to make the switch from Yumble. Seemingly, then, the company Joanna and David Parker started is the business to beat in its particular niche.
What's next for Yumble and the Parkers?
Now that Yumble's food offerings come entirely from third parties, the company is likely hoping to expand in the area of corporate partnerships. New deals of this kind mean more options for customers and potential opportunities for cross-promotion. General Mills, for example, profiled Yumble on its official website and even cited a business development initiative the company runs called G-Works as integral to the current version of the company's growth.
Joanna and David Parker, meanwhile, are now gone from the company entirely. Whereas David's current ventures — if any — are unclear, Joanna has since pivoted to a personal business called Joanna Parker Coaching. "After nearly a decade as a founder and entrepreneur dedicated to making parents' lives easier, I am now using my experiences to individually help mothers who struggle with the ultimate balancing act of high powered careers and families," reads her LinkedIn profile. "Together we will figure out how you can thrive and excel in your career, while not missing out on your single opportunity to raise your children in the way you know is best."